State Board News
State Board News

• November State Board News
  

  Board approves licensure changes

  In a 9-0 vote, the State Board voted to begin the regulatory review process to remove some of the barriers to licensure in Kansas.  The recommendations will be sent to the State Attorney General and to the Department of Administration for review, then returned to the State Board, which must still set a date for and conduct a public hearing on the changes.

  • Changing the name of the “conditional” license to “initial”
  • Reduced the renewal requirements for standard substitute license to 50% of the professional development
  • Reinstated the Masters plus experience renewal option
  • Adding endorsements for out of state – must verify coursework and take the appropriate content assessment; Kansas endorsements must take the content assessment.  (does not apply to Early Education, Elementary, Early Childhood Unified, etc)
  • Transitional license has been added – 1 year, Temporary, non-renewable – for out of state teachers who want to practice while meeting the state requirements and have no recent credit or experience or if retired, must complete 50% of the renewal requirements
  • Transitional License is also available for Technical Certificates
  • Interim Alternative – 2 year, non-renewable – for those who complete an alternative preparation program – must complete the Kansas Teaching Performance assessment and verify at least three (3) years experience or complete the content assessment and pedagogy assessment
  • For out of state applicants – must verify 3 years of recent experience or a total of 5 years or more experience
  • Emergency substitute can be renewed for 2 years
  • Prohibition for compensation for student teachers has been removed

  Future amendments may include changes in KPA, Direct Entry School Counselor, Special Education Director and others as identified.

  State Board holds a joint meeting with the Board of Regents

  The Kansas State Board of Education and the Board of Regents met jointly to discuss some common interests and goals.   Specifically, the two boards discussed the need for a P-20 council to improve student achievement by creating “a system of education that links and coordinates each education level into a seamless system guided by the principle that success in college begins in prekindergarten.” (ECS, StateNotes, P-16 Collaboration in the States, August 2000, p 1.) 

  The P-20 Council membership would include representatives from both boards, legislature, early childhood education representative, business community and parent/local school boards.   Some of the highlights of the focus of this council would include standards based improvement, coherence among state department of education, school districts, institutions of higher education, business and foundations, and alignment in the use of federal, state, district and private funds.   The council would also undertake some work that is already ongoing and would include the Research Consortium focusing on P-16 longitudinal data system, the Leadership Commission, 21st Century Skills, Teaching in KS Commission, and the Early Learning Commission.  

  The board voted 9-0 to send this recommendation to the Governor.

  Board Hears the Supply-Demand Analysis Study and Post Secondary Technical Education Authority

  The supply-demand analysis study (Positioning Kansas for Competitive Advantage) completed this year was commissioned by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Board of Regents and contracted with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW).   The study looked at four industry clusters – advanced manufacturing with an emphasis on aviation, bioscience, health care and energy.   Secondary education statistics data was included in the report.  The presentation by Mr. Gary Yakimov, Director of Business and Industry Strategies included information about aligning supply with demand in order to be competitive nationally and globally.  Acknowledgement was given that the jobs for which we are preparing students today do not exist. 

  Recommendations include

  • Aligning post secondary education with K-12 and workforce development 
  • Convening key stakeholders and policy makers to align resources and strategies
  • Implementing cost adjustments for high cost technical programs
  • Repeating the supply-demand study at the regional level
  • Provide “seed capital” for regional sector/cluster initiatives and require research into root causes
  • Restrict the use of federal program training monies to certain targeted occupations
  • Set qualified goals for closing specific gaps
  • Put the common core course project back on track and mandate common course numbering and transfer of credits for a core set of courses
  • Develop a message campaign that highlights the importance of postsecondary education and specific skills

  The board listened and discussed the report, but took no official action.

  Joseph Glassman, Chairman of the Kansas Post Secondary Technical Education Authority, discussed the need for baseline standardization of curriculum and developing minimum standards by using the recommendations of business and industry.   He believes that the conversation with business and industry will lead to major changes in our classrooms and in what we are teaching to provide our students the ability to succeed in the global economy.   At this point there are no recommendations, but the need to continue the conversation and to be open to inviting business and industry to the table. 

   

   

   

   

• October State Board News
  

  Board Endorses Major Legislative Package

  The State Board approved a legislative package that has the potential to significantly increase teacher salaries in Kansas.  They voted to ask the Legislature to fund a 4-year school finance plan with an emphasis on base state aid per pupil and to add $200 to the base, a 4.5% increase.

  The intent of both elements is to fund teacher salary increases that allow Kansas to reach the median state average teacher salary in 5 years.  To accomplish this, Kansas must increase average teacher salaries 2% above the national median increase.

  Kathy Martin asked if the Legislature could earmark money, to ensure it went to teacher salaries.  Dennis commented that such earmarks would not be consistent with “local control.”

  Each element passed on a separate vote.  The 4-year plan passed 8-0 [John Bacon and Ken Willard were absent] and the $200 on the base passed 6-1-1, with Sally Cauble, Sue Gamble, Carol Rupe, Jana Shaver, Bill Wagnon and Janet Waugh voting yes, Steve Abrams voting no, and Kathy Martin abstaining.

  According to Dale Dennis, deputy commissioner, Kansas is currently 10% behind the median national average salary and it would take $270 million to reach the median immediately.  $100 on the base, a figure that had been discussed previously, would put us behind, because nationally salaries are increasing 3% per year.

  Board Continues Licensure Review

  In an ongoing effort to identify barriers to Kansas licensure, the State Board asked staff to forward several proposals to the Professional Standards Board for discussion and review.

  Most of the proposals, which were conceptual, address concerns regarding out-of-state applicants, reactivating expired licenses, use of substitute licenses, and the KPA.

  The PSB will discuss the concepts and develop specific proposals that could be put in regulatory language.  It is expected that such language would begin the formal review process in early 2008, with adoption and implementation in time for the 2008-2009 school year.

  Some key concepts presented included:

  • Rename the Conditional License to the Initial License
  • Expand the availability of the 1-year non-renewable license, to allow those with out of state licenses access to practice while fulfilling missing Kansas  requirements
  • Consider additional ways to add endorsements to existing licenses
  • Grant the Professional License to out of state candidates who can document a minimum number of years teaching experience in that state
  • Renew emergency substitute licenses for more than 1 year
  • Require the KPA at the preparation level
  • Allow the KPA as another option to renew a Professional License
  • Involve school administrators in the requirements to upgrade from Conditional/initial to Professional License

  The Professional Standards Board